Brett Eats A Salad

My definition of a balanced diet.

Big deal right? Everyone eats salads.  Nope. Not this guy.  I ate one last week, though (twice actually) but I doubt anyone that really knows me will believe it.  I am going to tell you about it anyway.

First of all, let me say that I am a (somewhat) healthy eater and my avoidance of salads has nothing to do with any childish avoidance of greens.  I actually love vegetables and am a regular consumer of whatever green side item appears on plate with dinner.  Salads have just never been my thing though.  In my mind lettuce is the most pointless, unsatisfying vegetable ever invented.  It is cold, crunchy and flavorless and the only way to make anything out if it is to cover it with dressings and other stuff to mask its lack of personality.  As a passionate hater of anything with even a hint of vinegar, it has always been easier to avoid the salad plate entirely rather than find some combination of things that would make a salad a worthwhile use of my time.  Call me lazy and unsophisticated but that is just the way I have rolled for most of the last 34 years.

Thanks to Chris, I now sing a different tune. 

Grit Cakes With Grilled Chicken: Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Grilled Chicken with Grit Cake
and pureed peas

This meal is an extension of the previous evening’s festivities. It started with Chris’s search for a way to use the rest of the grits she made for the stuffed peppers. We had some chicken she wanted to use and, of course, every family dinner needs a green veggie plugged in somewhere along the way. Even though the grits were leftover, she put a twist on things that became a totally unique and original idea that was a big hit with our little family.

Farmer’s Market Stuffed Pepper Fun Time: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dibs on the red one!

The vast majority of our meals start out at the local grocery store chain with the question “what do you want to eat tonight?” We wander the aisles looking for something fresh or on sale to spark our interest. On this particular Tuesday, however, we limited our search by heading for the local farmer’s market instead of the grocery store. Fresh fruits and veggies would be the centerpiece of Chris’s creative spark this evening and all three of us were excited about it.

Actually, Ivan was more interested in the giant Halloween pumpkins but he was a big part of the adventure nonetheless. 

Boston Butt On The Smoker: Sunday August 28, 2011

On Thursday we decided we were going to have a lazy Sunday and slow cook a big hunk of meat on the smoker. On Saturday we finally purchased said hunk of meat in the form of a Boston Butt.  I spent Saturday afternoon and evening listening to my wife tell me that she could not decide what she was going to do the meat before it landed on the smoker.

Should she go with a dry rub? Should she marinate it over night? What about an injection? She is the chef and I am the loving, supportive husband that keeps the smoker at the right temperature and puts fresh wood chips on the coals every thirty minutes for ten hours. Therefore I had nothing to offer but assurance that whatever she decided would taste great and I would promise not to burn it.